


Divergent: Reimagined (A Screenplay)

by ResX



Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: F/F, F/M, How Do I Tag, I literally just finished the first book yesterday chill out, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Maybe I'll make Four gay, No Choosing Ceremony, Please Don't Hate Me, The formatting is a little fucked up i'll figure out how to fix it soon i promise, There might not be FourTris idk yet tho, almost everyone is gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-23 06:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30050988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ResX/pseuds/ResX
Summary: This is a Divergent Screenplay. Except the dialogue is less clunky, there's more focus on camera action instead of voiceovers and the side characters are actually interesting. Hopefully.Oh yeah, and you can no longer choose your faction. Unless you're divergent, the aptitude tests decide for you.I made this to give the side characters more development, since they weren't really written well. So now they have better development. And all of them are LGBTQ+Look, I've never posted here, so I won't retell the summary on the dustcover or anything. Just take this with a grain of salt okay? I'm here to have a good time. Hopefully I give y'all one as well.
Relationships: Al/Will (Divergent), Christina & Tris Prior, Christina & Will (Divergent), Four | Tobias Eaton & Tris Prior
Kudos: 1





	Divergent: Reimagined (A Screenplay)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Welcome to my first ever AO3 fic.
> 
> I've had this account for a while and couldn't think of what to do with it, since I mainly post on FFN. So I thought to myself one day "Why don't I rewrite the Divergent screenplay since the movie isn't that good?"
> 
> That's literally all I thought before starting this long-ass project.
> 
> So a couple things you need to know, just so that there aren't any nasty surprises.
> 
> \- This is my first screenplay. I have never written a screenplay before this. It might be hot garbage.  
>  \- I really didn't like the Choosing Ceremony concept. From the perspective of politics, it means that someone can be born in Dauntless, get their aptitude as Dauntless and then go "haha sIKE" and choose Amity for some reason. So I've changed it into the Selection Ceremony for a plot-relevant reason as well that you'll see later. In the Selection Ceremony, unless you're Divergent, your aptitude is your faction. If you're Divergent, you get to decide where you go.  
>  \- This will focus more on the side characters (Christina, Al, Will) a lot more, fleshing out their characters more than they could have. The most notable change is that Christina and Will will not get together in this screenplay. You will see why soon.  
>  \- I don't like FourTris. At least, not in the first book. It's very, very clunky and forced. And Four is just a possessive asshole sometimes. So they might not get together. Don't know for sure on that one, though.  
>  \- This screenplay will be very long. I do not intend to submit this professionally.
> 
> That being said...
> 
> Welcome to a very stupid project.
> 
> Enjoy.

FADE IN:

EXT. CHICAGO - DAY

(The following takes place in one unbroken shot)

WE OPEN to a cloudless sunny day, with a direct view of the  
post-apocalyptic Chicago skyline on the horizon. The camera  
holds in place to let us take in what is different just from  
the outside looking in, notably the high amount of abandoned  
buildings surrounding the downtown area. For a couple of  
moments, the camera remains still and silent.

Then, the camera slowly begins to zoom towards the city. As a  
a capella song about freedom plays in the background, we are  
given a flowing tour of the city and how it has changed in  
this post-apocalyptic setting. The camera soars right over a  
road that goes from dirty and muddy to a more conventional  
asphalt road as we approach the downtown area, passing buses,  
which have been remodified to have steel frames with windows  
stretching the sides and front.

As the camera approaches the middle of the city, we turn to  
follow the Chicago River, which instead of a clean and  
flowing water source is an extremely muddy sludge pit. We  
pass under bridges, with the camera skimming the surface of  
the river before flying up and out, back into the sky to give  
the audience a view of the individual factions.

We first zoom in on a section of the city that is very  
polished and white, between buildings and houses that are,  
while not identical, very clean and sharp to the eye. We pan  
to a shot of a big courthouse, emblazoned with a black symbol  
of a justice scale. This is the CANDOR faction, a faction  
that sees the world in black and white and value the truth  
over all else. This is seen in their emphasis of white for  
the color of their buildings and landmarks.

We are then taken to an area which is much more rural and  
downtrodden, with rickety houses, more aged vehicles and a  
muddier landscape that are home to countless farms. We follow  
a truck that looks close to one we would see today,  
emblazoned with an insignia of a red, blossoming tree, drive  
along a wet dirt road and past farmers in muddied shirts and  
overalls, who look up and wave at the driver. This is the  
AMITY faction, a faction that favors peace over all. It's  
members live simple, peaceful lives and are the most  
alienated of the factions from the politics of Chicago.

We follow along the farming landscape to a very drab and  
samely neighborhood, filled with concrete houses of the same  
dimensions and color. This faction should look completely  
lifeless and boring. However, we ZOOM IN on a garbage can,   
emblazoned with the insignia of one hand gently holding another   
getting knocked over by the wind. We see a woman rush out from   
her house about three doors down, go down the street and into   
the person's driveway to set the garbage can upright before   
walking back to her house. This is the ABNEGATION faction, a   
faction that values selflessness over all. Members of the faction   
live frugally, with basic houses, only the basic amenities needed   
to survive and, notably, without anything that could be described as   
selfish.

After following the street, we abruptly sweep off course and  
follow a train, which is a set of hollowed boxed on wheels  
with lights in the front and back. We see teenagers and  
adults, donned in black and tattoos, holding on to railings,  
talking and laughing loudly. We follow the train into an  
interchange, seeing trains come and go. Camera focuses on an  
abandoned brick building, which, amidst other spray painted  
words and pictures, is emblazoned with an insignia of a flame  
in a circle. This is the DAUNTLESS faction, the most  
fearless, reckless and outlandish faction. They favor bravery  
over everything and see cowardice as a poison on society.

We continue to follow a train track down through the downtown  
area and leave the track to pan over a very garish and rich  
section of Chicago, with high buildings with a stylish,  
vintage look. We see some roads lined with billboards,  
notably a billboard regarding a re-election campaign for one  
JEANINE MATTHEWS for "faction representation," and great  
emphasis in faction organization around a very big library  
that spans several stories and blocks, with a row of flags  
emblazoned with an insignia of an opened eye in a circle.  
This is the ERUDITE faction, a faction of intellectuals that  
have a distinctive thirst for knowledge over all. They are  
known for being the most rhetorically versed, as well as the  
most ambitious in their endeavors political and civil.

By now, the song comes to it's final moments. As it does, the  
camera turns to the ground and zooms out until we have a  
complete bird's eye view of Chicago, including all of the  
factions and the walls that surround the city. As the song  
comes to an end, lines and labels of the faction fade in,  
officially labeling the layout of Chicago that the movie  
takes place in.

MATCH CUT TO:

EXT. ABNEGATION FACTION - NIGHT

After a moment, we move away from the end of the shot, which  
is now a big map of Chicago that is set up in the back of a  
small bus stop.

NATALIE (O.S.)  
Beatrice! Time for bed!

CUT TO:

INT. TRIS' BEDROOM - NIGHT

We cut to a view of a bland, gray bedroom, with only a small  
bed, a nightstand with a lamp and window to our right. There  
are no bookshelves or amenities in the bedroom. Just the  
essentials.

The door on our left opens, and into the bedroom walks  
NATALIE and ANDREW PRYOR, both in their early thirties.  
Following them closely is YOUNG BEATRICE PRYOR, who is about  
10 and in gray, distinct-less pajamas. She sits on the bed  
and under the covers while her parents move to opposite  
sides, gentle smiles on their faces.

NATALIE  
Did you have a good day, Beatrice?

YOUNG BEATRICE  
Yes, mama.

ANDREW  
How about you lead us in prayer  
tonight?

All three perform the sign of the cross and begin the prayer.  
It is very clear that this prayer is very well practiced and  
a nightly tradition in the Pryor household.

NATALIE, ANDREW, YOUNG BEATRICE  
(SIMULTANEOUSLY)  
Thank you, God, for the great day  
you've given us, the food you've  
given us and the kindness you've  
inspired in us. In the name of the  
father, and of the son and of the  
holy spirit, amen.

Natalie and Andrew get up, plant a kiss on their daughter's  
cheeks and get up to leave the room.

NATALIE  
Good night, Beatrice.

YOUNG BEATRICE  
Night, mommy. Night, daddy.

Beatrice closes her eyes and shifts to her side to sleep.  
Moments later, the lights go off and the door closes.

We ZOOM IN to Beatrice, who, while still at first, begins to  
grow restless, moving her arms occasionally and flipping to  
her other side. After about a minute of fidgetting, a slow  
rumble from outside causes her to wake from her fitful sleep,  
sitting up in bed and looking towards the window.

We PAN TO the window, where a train is, in the distance,  
traveling from the walls to the downtown area. The camera  
slowly makes room for Beatrice, who is quietly making her way  
to the window and watching.

CUT TO:

EXT. PRYOR HOUSEHOLD - CONTINUOUS

We see from outside Beatrice looking out into the distance,  
simply observing the landscape. Moments later, in a fleeting  
decision of curiosity, she opens the window quietly. We see  
the wind tickle her hair and her face light up for the first  
time. This is the first time in the movie we see Beatrice  
look truly alive.

CUT TO:

INT. TRIS' BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

We suddenly hear voices outside the bedroom, Natalie's and  
Andrew's along with the voice of a young boy. Tensing,  
Beatrice quickly tip-toes back to her bed in a haste and  
slips under the covers without making a sound.

CALEB (MUFFLED)  
May I say goodnight to Beatrice  
before bed?

Beatrice closes her eyes and turns away from the door.  
Moments later, YOUNG CALEB PRYOR, just under a year older  
than Beatrice, enters the bedroom. He has a soft smile on his  
face, though it looks more as a result of being in a faction  
of gentle smiles than something genuine.

We see Caleb walk over to the bed and reach over to grab  
Beatrice's hand gently, the latter giving a gentle squeeze of  
appreciation.

YOUNG CALEB  
Goodnight, 'trice.

Beatrice doesn't respond, pretending that she is asleep.  
Moments later, Caleb removes his hand and walks to the door,  
not noticing the window open as he leaves the bedroom.

After a couple moments, Beatrice opens her eyes and walks  
over to the window again. We follow her in a PAN that shows  
that train is gone. Beatrice is noticeably disappointed, but  
the tension in her shoulders relax when another gust of wind  
ruffles her hair.

She spends some time admiring the outside, focusing on the  
downtown skyline that pierces the foggy night sky. After a  
minute, she slowly backs away and closes the window slowly as  
to not alert her family.

She tiptoes back to her bed when we hear a RUSTLE. Beatrice  
freezes, eyes widening as she glances around.

Another. Now unnerved, she reaches for her lamp and turns it  
on.

We CUT TO a crow, who is on the floor and staring up at  
Beatrice. Beatrice gasps.

Suddenly the crow lets out a ragged CAW and attacks! We CUT  
BACK TO an overview of the room as Beatrice screams in fear,  
lashing out as the crow attacks her face and knocking the  
lamp to the ground. After a struggle, we see the PRYORS enter  
the bedroom, turning on the lights and forcing the crow off  
of Beatrice. While Natalie quickly opens the window, Andrew  
grabs the lamp and whacks the crow, forcing it out of the  
house as Caleb attends to her now sobbing sister.

We CUT TO a view of Beatrice, whose face is scratched and  
bleeding. She is crying and holding her hands to her cheek,  
specifically a gash where blood is dripping down the side of  
her face.

NATALIE  
Are you alright, Beatrice?

ANDREW  
How did this happen?

NATALIE  
Andrew, get some paper towels.  
Caleb, take care of your sister.

Andrew and Natalie leave the bedroom to get medical supplies.  
Caleb stays by his sister, though his look is not one of  
sympathy. Just one of disappointment.

YOUNG CALEB  
Why did you open the window?

YOUNG BEATRICE  
(sniffling and sobbing)  
I-I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking...

YOUNG CALEB  
You know better, Beatrice. Next  
time, listen to mom and dad.

It's clear to us that Caleb's disappointment hits her hard.  
Even though her crying tempers, she grows visibly distraught  
at Caleb's look of disapproval, looking away at the floor.

CUT TO:

EXT. PRYOR HOUSEHOLD - CONTINUOUS

We cut to the window where Beatrice was looking out of  
moments earlier. ZOOMING OUT, we return to the crow that just  
attacked Beatrice. It's wing is damaged and it is struggling  
to stay airborne. Moments later, with a pained squawk, the  
crow loses it's left wing and falls ungracefully to the  
pavement with a THWACK.

As we watch the crow, twitching uselessly on the road, text  
fades to the left, reading "RESX PRESENTS:"

Moments later, three crows land next to the dying crow, their  
kin. They look around, one or two of them even pecking at the  
figure of the disabled bird, before taking off, leaving their  
kin behind to die for pursuing into an environment that  
wasn't meant for it.

As we follow the crows flying into the night sky, we FADE  
INTO a title card with the Chicago night skyline in the  
background...

DIVERGENT

FADE IN:

INT. PRYOR BATHROOM - SIX YEARS LATER

A subtitle "SIX YEARS LATER" shows. We open to Beatrice, now  
16, sitting completely still while Natalie cuts her hair. She  
is sitting up straight as her hair is measured and snipped  
very precisely, the strands falling into a bowl that has  
faint residue of salad dressing on the sides.

As this procedure is done, we PAN AROUND Beatrice and see how  
much she's grown. Her muscles have developed, though not  
distinctively, and her face has mostly outgrown the scars she  
got six years prior. Except for one.

We CUT TO a shot where Beatrice is parallel to a mirror. We  
focus on her casting a subtle glance to the mirror and tense  
her jaw momentarily. We see a scar along her cheekbone, the  
same one which caused the most blood the night the crow  
attacked, that never healed properly. She only glances for a  
minute before looking forward again, all without moving her  
face.

NATALIE  
Today's the day.

BEATRICE  
Yep...

NATALIE  
(pausing her work)  
Nervous?

BEATRICE  
(with a gentle shrug)  
Who isn't?

NATALIE  
(gently)  
You'll be fine, dear. Just be  
yourself when the test begins.

Beatrice's face tenses into a look at clearly says "If only  
that was as easy as it sounded" before returning to neutral.  
For a couple moments, we see her prepare her face to ask a  
question, but then relax her face.

After a bit, Natalie sets down the bowl and turns Beatrice to  
the mirror.

NATALIE (CONT'D)  
You look beautiful, honey.

BEATRICE  
(with a very tight, forced  
smile)  
Yeah...thank you for cutting my  
hair, mother.

Natalie kisses her on the cheek.

NATALIE  
I'll be down for breakfast soon.  
I'm going to clean up this bowl  
first.

BEATRICE  
(forced and ungenuine)  
I can clean up the bowl, mother.

NATALIE  
Thank you, sweetheart, but I can do  
it. It's your testing day, after  
all.

BEATRICE  
Thank you, mother.

She respectfully kisses her mother on the cheek and excuses  
herself from the bathroom. She lets loose her face for a  
moment, letting a disgusted face in regards to the  
conversation, as well as that being the standard of  
Abnegation conversation, show before returning to neutral.

CUT TO:

INT. BUS - LATER

About half-an-hour later. Beatrice is alone on a bus with  
Caleb, who is now 16. He is much taller than his sister, as  
well as having much darker hair and a slightly larger nose.  
Beatrice is looking out the window while Caleb sits  
patiently, looking ahead vaguely.

BEATRICE  
Aptitude tests are today.

CALEB  
Yep.

BEATRICE  
Nervous?

CALEB  
(with a smirk)  
Not as much as you.

BEATRICE  
(thrown off guard)  
Wha-...I'm not nervous!

CALEB  
Relax. Everyone's nervous. This is  
the test that determines your  
future, after all.

Beat.

BEATRICE  
Any idea what the test is gonna be  
like?

CALEB  
Nope. Not even a hint from Dad.

BEATRICE  
Well, he wouldn't have let us ask,  
anyway.

CALEB  
Well, on the bright side, we don't  
have to worry about the snobs  
saying they have a "leaked copy" of  
the test.

BEATRICE  
(with a smile)  
Every day we can hold the cards  
over Erudite is a good day, right?

Caleb wordlessly nods, which momentarily confuses Beatrice,  
but she disregards it and continues to look out the window.

BUS P.A. (V.O.)  
Next stop, Washington Street.  
Candor Faction.

The bus comes to a stop and the door opens. A group of twenty  
or twenty-five Candors, all dressed in identical black suits,  
black neckties and white shirts board the bus, some with  
cigarettes either in their mouth or in their hand, others  
carry briefcases. As the bus loads up, Beatrice and Caleb, in  
a very swift and practiced movement, get up from their seats  
and stand in the aisle, letting two Candors take their place.  
Brief focus on an article about a feud between Erudites and  
Abgenation, with a political cartoon of a man submitting  
under the heel of a larger man

As the bus finishes loading, Beatrice looks out the window to  
see a small homeless village with tents and small fires. Some  
are huddled over the fire and cooking some scraps on wood  
dowels, others are in sleeping bags. But one man, an elderly  
man, is holding up a sign in cardboard that says "BE YOURSELF  
WISELY".

Beatrice stares at the sign intently and catches the holder,  
an elderly man with missing teeth and a bad back's eye. He  
smiles unsettlingly, showing his missing teeth. Beatrice  
quickly looks away, staring at the ground.

CUT TO:

INT. THE HUB HALLWAY - AFTERNOON

A BELL RINGS. Doors to classrooms open. Beatrice is seen  
moving to the opposite side of the natural flow, staying  
distinctively outcast from everyone else. She is among a few  
that are wearing gray.

Along the way, she flinches as a girl in a red sweater says  
"HI" loudly to one of her friends and crosses her arms,  
feeling put upon. It's clear that Abnegation are the outcasts  
in the school population.

Suddenly, she runs into an Erudite boy, with sleek black hair  
and a green sweater, stumbling and falling onto her backside  
as the boy drops his notebook.

BEATRICE  
(sheepishly)  
Sorry...lemme get that for you-

ERUDITE BOY  
(aggressively, cutting her  
off by shoving her away)  
Get the fuck away, Stiff.

He grabs his notebook and storms away. Beatrice looks  
offended at first, but bites her lip and continues walking.

BEATRICE  
(under her breath)  
That's not even a creative insult  
anyways...

CUT TO:

INT. THE HUB LUNCHROOM - MOMENTS LATER

The lunchroom. The distribution is even across five parts,  
all distinctive by color and behavior. AMITY, dressed in red  
and yellow, are active and physical, touching each other  
frequently with smiles on their face. CANDOR, dressed in  
white dress shirts with ties, are more organized, but  
gesticulating wildly while in the fervor of passionate, yet  
tempered and respectful debates about mundane topics.  
ERUDITE, dressed in green, are the most diverse in mannerism,  
with some nose deep in textbooks and studying while some  
engaged in snarky banter. DAUNTLESS, donning black, piercings  
and tattoos, are the most chaotic, talking loudly, kicking  
their feet up and some sitting on the tabletop.

We focus on the ABNEGATION, who are, unlike everyone else,  
completely silent and focused on their food. They do not talk  
to each other unless they're offering to take their trays to  
the tray-table or offering to give someone food. This silence  
usually makes them the butt of political and factionist  
jokes, specifically from Erudite.

P.A. (V.O.)  
A reminder that there are no more  
classes for the remainder of the  
day. All students are dismissed  
when their aptitude testing is  
complete.

We hear audible cheers from the Dauntless section. Beatrice  
sits at her table finishing her tray of chicken and peas. As  
she eats, we hear some mocking from the Erudites.

ERUDITE BOY #2  
(loudly and obnoxiously)  
Hey, just don't forget to shoot up  
the place if you can! Rather be  
dead in Dauntless than bored in  
Abnegation!

We hear some vocalized assent from Dauntless members.  
Beatrice tightens her lip and sets down the fork a little  
more forcefully than usual, but doesn't contest the jab.

P.A. (V.O.)  
Attention, all. The testing will  
now begin. Please proceed to the  
aptitude chambers when your name is  
called.

The cafeteria quiets.

As the names of those being tested are given, the girl to  
Beatrice's left taps her shoulder and offers to take her  
tray, to which she nods and smiles in thanks.

P.A.  
...from Erudite, William Schaffer  
and Jonathan de Armas. From  
Abnegation, Caleb Pryor and Julian  
Lucas.

Beatrice glances around and exchanges a "good luck" grin with  
Caleb, who smiles back as he walks out of the cafeteria.

The girl who took Beatrice's tray, SUSAN BLACK, sits next to  
her again.

SUSAN  
Penny for your thoughts.

BEATRICE  
(quietly, with a shrug)  
Just...nervous. That's all.

SUSAN  
(lightly)  
Will, if it brings you any comfort,  
at least you won't be ending up in  
Erudite. They've done enough to  
discourage that kind of transfer.

BEATRICE  
Heh.

Beat.

SUSAN  
Hey, just know that whatever  
happens in there is all in your  
mind, okay? The Selection Ceremony  
making you Erudite isn't really  
happening.

BEATRICE  
(with a gentle smile)  
Thanks, Susan.

JUMP CUT TO:

INT. THE HUB LUNCHROOM - LATER

A couple minutes pass, and the doors open. The ten testers  
return to their seats, some looking relaxed and relieved  
while others looking petrified. Caleb is one of the latter as  
he sits down next to Beatrice, who looks worried.

P.A. (V.O.)  
A reminder to all students that all  
test results are highly  
confidential. Any revealing of  
results before the Selection  
Ceremony will be grounds for  
punishment and possible  
disqualification from the ceremony.

BEATRICE  
(resting her hand on  
Caleb's arm)  
You alright?

Caleb noticeably flinches, but slowly relaxes, taking a deep  
breath.

CALEB  
Yeah. I'm alright.

Beatrice doesn't exactly believe him, but she turns away to  
pay attention to the next selection of students.

P.A. (V.O.)  
...from Erudite, Peter Hayes and  
Michael King. From Abnegation,  
Susan Black and Beatrice Pryor.

Beatrice gasps sharply. Susan pats her back.

SUSAN  
(confidently)  
We got this, girl.

Beatrice nods, and, after a quick, awkward wave to Caleb,  
heads to the door.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. APTITUDE TESTING CHAMBER - LATER

Beatrice opens the door and enters a transparent room, with a  
table containing a monitor, a electrode headset connected to  
a white machine and a computer with a printer that will print  
out the test results. In the center is a reclining seat with  
arm straps attached to the arm rests.

In an office chair near the computer sits TORI, a short-  
haired young woman, about 18, with a leather jacket and  
ripped black jeans, as well as a tattoo of a hawk on her  
neck. She is very obviously Dauntless.

TORI  
Hey there, stranger. Have a seat.

Beatrice slowly steps forward and sits down, casting a glance  
to other rooms, since the walls are windows. She sees other  
testers, notably Susan, get strapped into the chair before  
the chamber suddenly blips out from view, as if it was never  
there.

She slowly relaxes into the chair as Tori hooks her up to the  
electrode. The light hits her eyes hard and makes her flinch  
as she fiddles with the mechanisms.

TORI (CONT'D)  
Alright, so when this bad boy is up  
and running, I'm going to give you  
a small vial. I need you to drink  
all of it for the simulation to  
work.

As she is speaking, Beatrice observes the hawk tattoo on  
Tori's neck.

BEATRICE  
Why the hawk?

Tori stops.

TORI  
Oh, this? Well, in ancient  
mythology, the hawk is the symbol  
of the sun god. I figured it would  
be symbolic of me overcoming...

She pauses to grab the vial.

TORI (CONT'D)  
...my fear of the dark.

As Beatrice grabs the vial, Tori notices something.

TORI (CONT'D)  
Aren't you Abnegation?

Beatrice realizes how much she has broken faction character  
and visibly squirms.

BEATRICE  
(ashamed)  
Shit...sorry...

TORI  
(with a smile)  
Oh, it's no worry. I've just never  
met a curious Abnegation before.

She flips a switch near the back door. The walls suddenly  
flood with mirrors, reflecting various angles of the two  
women. Beatrice slowly glances at the vial, which is cloudy  
and tinted an odd pink.

BEATRICE  
What's in this?

TORI  
Nothing that'll kill ya. That's all  
I'm allowed to say.

Beatrice looks at the vial, unscrews the cap and with one  
last deep breath, downs the vial in a couple gulps.

TORI (CONT'D)  
(taking the vial)  
Good work. Now close your eyes and  
relax. The simulation will start  
soon.

We ZOOM IN on Beatrice's face as she slowly relaxes, closing  
her eyes and controlling her breathing.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT./EXT. THE APTITUDE SIMULATION

Beatrice opens her eyes and finds herself standing in the  
lunchroom. There are no tables and the lights are off. We  
slowly ZOOM OUT to see two bowls. The bowl on the left  
contains a small slab of Swiss cheese. The one on the right  
contains a knife. Beatrice eyes her options wordlessly, her  
confusion apparent.

WOMAN (O.S.)  
Choose.

Beatrice looks behind her to find that no one is there.  
Unsettled further, she takes a couple steps forward to  
investigate the baskets, but does not reach out for either of  
them.

WOMAN (O.S.) (CONT'D)  
Choose.

BEATRICE  
(turning around, tense)  
Why?!? What do I do with these?

WOMAN (O.S.)  
(much more forceful)  
Choose.

Beatrice almost reaches for the knife, but doesn't, turning  
around and facing the origin of the voice.

BEATRICE  
Not until you tell me what the hell  
is going on first.

Beat.

WOMAN (O.S.)  
Fine. We'll play it your way.

There is a click. When Beatrice turns around, the baskets are  
not there. There is a low, threatening GROWL as a DOG emerges  
from the shadows, snarling and teeth bared. Beatrice tenses  
up, glancing around for anything she can possibly use. She  
finds nothing.

She glances out the window in her silent freakout. Outside,  
she sees a billboard showing the cartoon from the newspaper  
earlier, showing an act of submission. Getting an idea, she  
turns back to the dog and calms herself, slowly beginning to  
lower herself to the ground. The dog continues to approach as  
Beatrice lowers herself into genuflecting for the dog.  
Showing complete submission.

We zoom until we can see the front of the dog's muzzle inches  
away from Beatrice's neck. A couple moments pass...

...before the dog begins sniffing Beatrice and eventually  
licks her scalp.

Relaxing, Beatrice slowly works herself into a sitting  
position, letting the dog lick her and eventually running a  
hand along the back of his ear

Suddenly...

GIRL (O.S)  
Puppy!

Beatrice turns to see a little girl, no older than 5, look at  
the puppy with sparkling eyes.

Abruptly, the dog BARKS and charges. With a scream of terror,  
the GIRL runs the other way as fast as she could.  
Immediately, Beatrice sprints after the dog, leaping out and  
landing on top of the dog.

As she lands on the dog's back, the figure dissolves, and  
Beatrice falls to the ground.

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. BUS SIMULATION - CONTINUOUS

The shot switches to the floor of a bus the moment Beatrice  
hits the ground. Grunting, she looks up and around at her  
surroundings.

On this bus, every single seat is taken by men of identical  
height and clothes, all in black suits and white shirts, and  
reading the same newspaper. The road outside is on some  
indistinct plains. Slowly, Beatrice gets up and walks to the  
back of the bus, grabbing a handle and facing forward.

A MAN is reading a newspaper to her left. After a moment, he  
gets her attention by crinkling the edges of the paper.

MAN  
(raspy, used)  
Do you know this man?

Beatrice looks at the page he points to. It is a wanted  
advertisement for a man who looks to be about 20. He is  
wanted for murder. She shows signs of recognizing the man,  
but does not vocalize them.

The man does not reveal his face, but when Beatrice doesn't  
answer, his voice grows angry.

MAN (CONT'D)  
(angry)  
Well?!? Do you?!?

Beatrice looks scared for a moment before making a decision  
and forcing her face into a neutral expression.

BEATRICE  
(nervous)  
I do not know who that man is.

MAN  
(infuriated)  
LIAR!!!

Immediately, every single man shuts their newspaper at once  
and stands to face her. Beatrice is terrified.

MAN (CONT'D)  
(seething, almost  
animalistic)  
You are lying...YOU LIAR!!! TELL  
ME!!!

BEATRICE  
(terrified, visibly  
shaking with her eyes  
shut)  
I...do not know...who he is...

MAN  
STOP LYING!!!

BEATRICE  
(the same)  
I...am not lying...

In a swift change of emotion, the man's voice turns raw and  
pleading.

MAN  
Please...I need to know...You can  
save me...just tell me who he is...

Beatrice almost gives in, but at the last moment returns her  
face to the calmest it can be.

BEATRICE  
(calm, convincing)  
I do not know who that man is.

There is a SCREECH as the bus suddenly hits the brakes.  
Beatrice is ripped from her handle and falls forward towards  
the bus floor...

MATCH CUT TO:

INT. APTITUDE TESTING CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS

Beatrice gasps awake with a jolt, coming to her senses. She  
glances around, relaxing as she sees the mirrors fade to  
transparency like the beginning of the test.

She glances around and sees Tori, who is staring at the  
monitors instead of unstrapping her.

BEATRICE  
I'm awake.

Tori doesn't respond. Beatrice begins to grow worried as the  
printer WHIRRS. We see Tori grab the results sheet and look  
at it, her eyes growing paranoid and terrified as she reads  
it.

BEATRICE (CONT'D)  
What's going on?

Tori glances at the paper for a couple more moments.

TORI  
Excuse me a moment.

Tori leaves the room through the backdoor. We ZOOM IN on  
Beatrice, whose face is that of abject terror. She is  
completely convinced that something in the test went wrong.

She glances to her sides, where she sees the testers  
receiving their results. She sees some happy with their  
results, either pumping their fist, grinning widely like  
Susan, or even rushing forward to hug their procurator. She  
also sees others that look absolutely devastated, with one  
girl rushing out of her chamber in tears.

After a moment of observation, Tori re-enters the room and  
flips the switch. The walls return to mirrors.

BEATRICE  
What the hell is going on?

TORI  
(unsettled)  
Something that I didn't really  
prepare for.

Tori unstraps Beatrice's arms. She quickly gets to her feet  
to face her proctor.

BEATRICE  
What happened? Did I do something  
wrong?

TORI  
You did nothing wrong. What's  
happening is not your fault, but it  
is something that's very, very bad.

BEATRICE  
(growing frantic)  
What do you mean, "very, very bad?  
!?"

Tori restarts the computer and looks Beatrice in the eye.

TORI  
Listen to me very carefully. The  
way these tests work is that they  
place you in extreme, personality-  
challenging environments. The way  
that you leave a room, the way you  
get out of danger, everything is in  
these tests. They analyze your  
neurocomplex within not just your  
decisions, but why you didn't take  
the other options. This system was  
designed to be able to siphon out  
the very best faction for you based  
on your aptitude.

BEATRICE  
So...what's mine?

TORI  
We don't know. The test was  
inconclusive.

Long pause. Beatrice is terrified.

BEATRICE  
WHAT?!?

TORI  
(handing over the sheet as  
she talks)  
Your thought process was something  
the test was not able to analyze.  
You scored an undecipherable split  
between Abnegation, Erudite and  
Dauntless.

Beat. We see the results, showing analytics based on what  
percentage of faction was seen in various decisions made. We  
see various percentages of parts of tests gauging decision  
making favoring Erudite, Dauntless and Abnegation. In red  
text, under results is the word "INCONCLUSIVE".

BEATRICE  
(shocked)  
I...I don't understand.

TORI  
It means that you're proficient in  
all three factions. It means  
you're...

She glances precariously at the walls.

TORI (CONT'D)  
(quietly)  
...you're divergent.

Beatrice cannot form words, just looking at the paper and  
then back at Tori.

TORI (CONT'D)  
Listen to me. You cannot tell  
anyone about this under any  
circumstances, okay? Divergence is  
very dangerous, and if you tell  
anyone, you and your family are in  
danger.

BEATRICE  
Okay, but what's going to happen?!?  
What's my faction going to be?

Beat.

TORI  
You're going to have to choose.

BEATRICE  
But that's not how the ceremony  
works anymore! No one's chosen  
their faction in 15 years!

TORI  
No one...except divergents.

Beatrice turns away, hand on her forehead as she frantically  
scans the paper again and again.

TORI (CONT'D)  
(said while taking the  
paper from Beatrice)  
Listen. I've called your  
supervisors to tell them that you  
got ill from the serum. That's not  
enough time for you to decide on a  
faction here. So I suggest you head  
home, sleep on it, and meet me on  
the 71st floor of the Hub at 7:30  
sharp. Do not be late.

Beatrice nods frantically.

TORI (CONT'D)  
Good.

There's a KNOCK at the back door.

TORI (CONT'D)  
Go. Now.

Beatrice quickly turns to the front door and walks out.

JUMP CUT TO:

INT. THE HUB HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Beatrice stumbles into the hallway, trying to balance  
herself. She suddenly feels ill, her mouth filling with bile.  
She rushes into the women's room.

END OF PART 1

**Author's Note:**

> And that's the chapter.
> 
> How'd I do? If you have time, please leave a comment with any suggestions that I can take to improve my technique. I'll appreciate it very much. :)


End file.
